Vertical and horizontal axes roundabout



March 3, 1970' w. A. NOBLE 3,498,602

VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL AXES ROUNDABOU'I' Filed 001:. 9, 19s? INVENTOR.

, WALL/AM ,4. 4/0545 4 7 TOP/ME! ber.

United States Patent Int. Cl. A63g 1/20 US. Cl. 272-30 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A playground device of the merry-go-round type which consists of a fixed post having a vertical rotatable support member to which a horizontally disposed member is secured at its center for rotation about the vertical axis of the post as well as swinging motion about a horizontal axis. Seats or simulated animals are pivotally secured to the free ends of the horizontal member. Links are connected between the seats and the post to keep the seats in a vertical position as the children riding on the seats revolve about the post and simultaneously swing up and down. Suspension members, to prevent excessive downward flexure, extend from the free ends of the horizontal member to a substantially vertical extension mounted for universal pivoting on the upper end of the support memsprings, or parts that are difficult to produce and assemble. Moreover, many playground devices have little inherent entertainment value. They are sometimes tedious to operate primarily because the operation'of the device by each child is entirely independent of the operation by another child.

In view of these and other deficiencies of the prior art, it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved childs amusement device for playgrounds and the like which is rugged in construction, reliable in operation and can be manufactured at a reasonable cost.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved playground device which can be operated safely and will permitthe operator to be seated on a support and to rotate about a post located at the center of the device.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved playground device having a high degree of entertainment value.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an improved playground device which permits operative interaction between two or more children as the device is being used.

A further more specific object of the invention is the provision of an improved amusement device for playgrounds and the like which allows a child to be seated on a simulated animal or the like and to rotate about a centerpoint and simultaneously swing up and down about a horizontal axis intersecting the axis of rotation.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will become apparent in view of the following specification and claims, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a partial side elevational view of the end of one of the supporting arms.

FIGURE 3 is a partial side elevational view of the centerpost and associated parts.

In brief terms, the present invention provides an amusement device for playgrounds and the like consisting of a centerpost that is secured to the ground in a vertical position and a plurality of substantially horizontally extending supporting beams, each of which is mounted on the post at its center for rotation about a vertical axis and for swinging motion about a horizontal axis which intersects the vertical axis of rotation. Seats are provided at each end of the beam upon which a child is seated with the child at each end approximately balancing the weight of the other child.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends the invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

Refer to the figures and particularly to FIGURE 1 which illustrates a playground device or merry-go-round 10 embodying the present invention. The merry-go-round 10 is composed of two pairs of generally horizontally extending vertically aligned and superimposed beams, including the first pair designated 12 and 14 and the second pair extending at right angles thereto designated 16 and 18. The beams 12, 14, 16 and 18 can conveniently be formed from metal tubing or pipe. In a typical application of the invention inch iron pipe was found satisfactory.

The beams 12, 14, 16 and 18 are supported at their centers upon pivot pins formed from a bolt 19 that extends horizontally through the center of each of the beams and is connected at its end to a vertically disposed centerpost formed from a hollow pipe 20 which is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis as will be described more fully herein below. The pipe 20 is provided with diametrically opposed vertically spaced apart pairs of openings or slots 21 through which the beams, 12, 14, 16 and 18 extend and it will be noticed that the slots 21 through which the beams'12 and 14 extend are located slightly below the slots 21 through which the beams 16 and 18 are located. In this way, the beams will be able to pivot about a horizontal axis on the bearings defined by the bolts 19 without any interference or contact between the pair of beams designated 12 and 14 and the pair designated 16 and 18.

The supporting structure for the centerpost composed of the pipe 20 will now be described with particular reference to FIGURES l and 3.

Secured rigidly to the lower end of the pipe 20 is a downwardly extending coupling or sleeve member 22 which in this instance is composed of the section of pipe having a slightly larger diameter than the pipe 20. Suitably secured to the ground and extending vertically above the ground a short distance, for example, on the order of about 2 feet, is a base member consisting of a stationary pipe 26. The upper portion 27 of the pipe 26 is of the appropriate diameter to just fit within the lower end of the sleeve 22. A washer 24 is positioned between the lower end of the sleeve 22 and the upper end of the pipe 26. The washer 24 can be formed from any of a variety of materials but a plastic resin reinforced with glass fibers has proved satisfactory, A suitable lubricating material such as cup grease is provided between the sleeve 22 and the vertical stationary pipe 26 to facilitate rotation of the pipe 20 and sleeve 22 upon the stationary pipe 26 about a. vertical axis extending through its center.

This suspension arrangement for the beams will now be described with particular reference to FIGURES 1 and 3.

Suitably mounted upon the upper end of the pipe 20 is a cap 30 provided with a downwardly extending tubular flange of a suitable size to fit tightly over the outside surface of the pipe 20. At the center of the cap 30 is a recess or dimple adapted to receive the lower end of a supporting rod 32 having four longitudinally extending circumferentially spaced apart notches 34 at its upward end. The upper end of the supporting rod 32 is covered with a small cap 36 formed from metal or plastic. The lower end of the rod 32 is free to pivot in the recess at the center of the cap 30, Thus, during operation the rod 32 will swing in all directions about its lower end as the beams pivot on the bolts 19.

Secured at their inward ends to the supporting rod 32 within the notches 34 are four diagonally positioned radially disposed suspension rods designated 38, 40, 42 and 44. Each of the suspension rods is pivotally secured at its outward end to the free end of one of the aligned pairs of supporting beams as will be described fully in connection with FIGURES 1 and 2.

Refer now to FIGURE 2 which illustrates the seat mounting assembly 48 at the left end of beams 16 and 18 as seen in the figure. Each mounting assembly has been designated 48. Since all of the mounting assemblies 48 are identical, only one will be described in detail.

A downwardly extending flange 45 is provided on the outward end of each of the suspension rods 38, 40, 42 and 44. The flange 45 is positioned adjacent to a flange 46 that extends centrally from the vertically disposed connecting link 49 of the seat assembly 48. At the outward end of the beam 16 is provided a verically disposed slot 50 adapted to receive the aligned flanges 45 and 46. Similar slots are provided on each end of the beam 12 and the beam 16. A pivot defined by a horizontally disposed pin 52 which extends laterally through the end of the beam 16 and the aligned flanges 45 and 46 enables the seat mounting assembly 48 to pivot relative to the ends of the beams.

Slots 56 are provided in each end of the beams 18 and 14 to receive a centrally extending flange 54 secured rigidly to the bottom end of the link 49 in alignment with the flange 46. A pin 58 defines a bearing at the bottom end of the support 48 that extends through each free end of the beams 14 and 18 and through the flanges 54. It will be noted that the pins 52 and 58 are in vertical alignment. The pivotal connection between ends of each pair of beams and the vertically disposed links 49 define a parallelogram linkage that maintains the links 49 at all times in a vertical position as the beams oscillate about the bolts 19.

Rigidly secured in any suitable manner to each of the links 49 is a horizontally disposed bracket composed of a pipe 60 positioned at right angles to the link and the beam upon which it is mounted. Outwardly extending parallel end pieces 62 are secured to each end of the pipe 60 and upon these end pieces are suitably secured seats of any suitable kind such as a simulated horse 66, only one of which is shown, or simulated airplane (not shown) or other form of seat upon which a child can sit when the device is in use, The simulated horse 66 is provided with a pair of longitudinally spaced transversely extending openings 68 and 70 within which the free ends of the end pieces 62 are inserted with suflicient space being provided between the side of the simulated horse 66 and the member 60 to accommodate one of the users legs.

The operation of the device will now be described.

It will. be assumed for the purposes of the description that a seat of a suitable construction, of which the simulated horse 66 is only an example, is mounted on the free end of the end pieces 62 of each seat support assembly 48. The users are then seated on the horses with one of their legs between the side of the horse and the member 60. With their legs they push the horse forwardly and cause the pipe 20 to rotate on the fixed base and stationary pipe 26 about a vertical axis at its center. As the unit rotates about the vertical axis, the users on opposite ends of the same beam approximately balance each other but the downward force that they exert with their legs against ground will make the seats rise and fall with the aligned pairs of beams oscillating about the horizontal axes of the bolts 19. As the beams oscillate in this manner, the horses 66 will at all times be maintained in a vertical position by the parallelogram linkage defined by the vertically aligned beams and the vertically disposed links 49 which are pivotally connected between their ends.

Thus, as the device is used, the seats 66 revolve about the vertical axis at the center of the pipe 20 as well as swinging up and down about a horizontal axis (defined by the bolts 19, which intersects the vertical axis). Not only is the invention interesting to operate because it provides a continually changing field of vision for the user, but at the same time it permits a cooperative interaction between the users on opposite ends of the same pair of beams with one seat rising when the other falls. The device is, moreover, particularly safe because of the vertical position of the seats at all times. It is also entertaining because it permits the actual motion of the simulated animal to be approximated and the frequency and extent of this motion can be controlled by the user himself rather than by some outside force. The device is interesting to use because the user is oriented at a angle to the center post. They are consequently not facing toward one another but instead are chasing each other and as they do so the oscillation of rod 32 provides simulated gallop. It was found that the apparatus can be constructed at a reasonable cost from available materials and is rugged in construction and reliable in operation.

The invention has been described in one of its preferred forms, the details of which may be varied between wide limits without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A playground apparatus for children comprising in combination a fixed base, a support member mounted thereon for rotation about a vertical axis, at least one beam mounted at its center on a horizontal pivot pin on the support for pivotal movement about a first horizontal axis, a substantially vertical extension provided at the upper end of the support member with means pivotally mounting the extension for universal pivoting with respect to the support member, suspension members extending from the upper end of the extension to the free ends of the beam to prevent excessive downward flexure of the free ends of the beam, the ends of the beam being thereby free to swing up and down as the beam and its support rotate on a vertical axis, a seat on each end of the beam whereby persons are adapted to be seated on the seats and move themselves in a circle about the vertical axis and to simultaneously cause the ends of the beam and the seats mounted thereon to swing up and down about the horizontal axis at the center of the beam.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each said seat is pivotally secured upon the end of the beam for swinging movement about second and third horizontal axes positioned normal to the axis of the beam and linkage means is operatively associated with the seats for maintaining the seats in a vertical position regardless of the angle of inclination of the beam about said first horizontal axis.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the seats are located upon the end of the beams in such a position that the person seated thereon will face in a direction extending at right angles to the beam.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a seat supporting assembly is provided on each end of each of the beams, said seat supporting assembly comprising a horizontally disposed member positioned at right angles to the beam and a pair of parallel horizontally disposed extensions projecting outwardly from the end thereof parallel to the beam, said seat being mounted on the ends of the extensions with sufiicient clearance being provided between the seat and the first said member to provide ample clearance for one leg of a person seated on the seat.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the support member comprises a vertically disposed pipe having a pair of diametrically opposed longitudinally extending slots therein within which each of the beams is mounted and a horizontally disposed pivot member extending through said pipe and through the portion of the beam within the pipe to support the beam for movement about said horizontal axis.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 1900 Great Britain. 1/1955 Italy.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

